Saved By The Firefighter
Chapter 119

Lucy's Point of view.

No matter what I do, or how much I attempt to regulate my breathing, I cannot stop my body from shaking. My stomach churns, and I can only hope that I am not sick again. The pounding of my heart echoes in my ears, as any slight noise makes me nearly jump out of my skin. I place a protective, shaky hand over my stomach, gently rubbing it, almost as if I am comforting Ben and my unborn child. Stress is not good for me, or our baby, and I know I need to calm myself down. But that is easier said than done. Because trust me, I have tried, and so far I am failing spectacularly.

I take a sip of the hot tea Joanne has made, hoping the soothing liquid helps calm my mind. After all, there is nothing quite like a cup of good old English tea to bring peace to a troubled soul. It is the go-to remedy for any situation, especially bad ones. As situations go, they do not get much worse than this...well, there is a worse one, much worse! I take a breath, and force my mind away from dwelling on those negative thoughts of Ben not coming home to me, before they consume my mind so much that I end up vomiting again.

I blow out a breath, as I have more to worry about now. Cal, my baby brother, a young father of two little treasures, their only real parent, is heading to that factory. For all I know, he will not be required to fight the fire, the thought of him being present fills me with dread, adding to my already fractured emotions.

I see Anders from the corner of my eye, his hands running through his hair repeatedly, as he watches the TV hanging on their every word.

Ben once told me, that although he doesn't have a problem with TV crews filming fires, that if he is on a shout that is being televised, that I should take what they say with a pinch of salt, as they have a knack of sensationalising the facts, and half the time they make more of a situation, and the danger is nowhere near as bad as they tell you. They enjoy creating drama, as it makes people watch their show.

I try and take comfort from that, though, as I listen to the over-enthusiastic female reporter shout down a microphone about the dangers of the fire, and her breakdown of what dangers await the fire crews.

Apparently, they are evacuating the surrounding factories in the area. Fortunately, on that stretch of road there are no homes.

I let out a long steady breath, as another wave of nausea began to rip through my body, hoping to calm my stomach down, in a bid to stop myself from, once again, being sick.

For all I have heeded Ben's words, looking at the fire, on the TV I know that this is a dangerous situation. I understand that every fire is fraught with danger, but this one is definitely worse, and I do not need a reporter to tell me that.

Hell, I just have to step outside Whip-me's house to see the columns of smoke in the distance, and inhale the smell of burning that is already wafting its way across the city.

"We are expecting an update from Group Manager Fallow of the Northeast Fire brigade shortly, he is just briefing his team." The reporter informs us.

That is not a name I have heard of, so I think it will be one of the high-up bods from regional HQ. Although I want to know what he has to say, I must admit I would prefer an update from Whip-me, at least then I can trust his words, and that would being not just me, but Joanne and Anders comfort.

"Oh f**k, I might have known 'Shallow Fallow' would replace a way to get his arse in front of the cameras. That man is a joke." Joanne groans, as she reaches for the plate of biscuits and offers me one.

"You have to try and eat, Lucy. They are ginger to help with your sickness." Her voice turning soft as she begs me with her eyes to attempt to eat.

For all the thought of consuming food, any food, fills me with dread, I cannot deny that she is right. I do need to try and get something down my throat, and ginger does help settle my stomach.

I nod my head, taking a biscuit from the plate and begin to nibble on it. However, it sticks in my dry throat as I attempt to swallow, so I instantly take a sip of tea to help get it down. I hold the remaining biscuit in my hand, not wanting to attempt another bite just yet.

The camera pans out, zooming in on firefighters leaving the burning building. Each of us instantly sit forwards, looking to see if it is our loved ones coming out.

"Is it them?" I ask. It is difficult to distinguish one firefighter from the next when they are in their full equipment.

"I don't think so, you will see Ben first because he is so much bigger than the others, plus Josie is smaller, so that is what makes them distinctive." Joanne informs us, clearly a veteran at trying to replace her son from afar when in his full firefighter uniform. None of the fire fighters that run from the building look like Ben, and they also do not have anybody draped over their shoulders. So clearly, they have not found any of the victims this time around.

"They are empty-handed. The last crew that came out had one person with them." Anders informs us.

"What does that mean?" I ask.

"They will either call the fire, which means they will not send in a rescue team for the remaining victims, as there will be a very low percentage chance of them being alive. Or send in another rescue team." Joanne sighs, worrying her hands together in her lap. For all, I feel utterly selfish, and I know that if it was someone I cared for in that building, I would not want that. But, I hope beyond hope that they called the fire, so that Ben would be fighting the flames from the outside of the building. Although, if there was even the slightest chance of replaceing someone alive, I understand him well enough, to know that he would head back into the flames, and attempt a rescue. That is just the man my fiancé is, brave, a hero, in every single sense of the word. But, despite knowing this about him, I cannot help but wish he was a little more cowardly in this moment of time, then shake that thought from my mind, because in reality, I would not change a single thing about him. He and our baby are my life, and his selfless nature is what makes me love him so much.

The camera moves, focusing back on the reporter.

"I have with me, Group Manager Fallows." She tells the world.

"Group Manager Fallows, thank you for taking the time to update us. What can you tell us?" She asks.

The camera focuses on 'Shallow Fallow' as Joanne called him, and he flashes a smile at the camera, almost as if he is flirting with it. I instantly understood perfectly why he had acquired that nickname.

"The fire started approximately five hours ago. We have teams from stations around the area battling the flames. Although we have managed to rescue some of those trapped, we have it on good authority that two more victims remain in the building. Our biggest concern is the Lithium-Ion batteries and the components that are made in the factory. At present, the area that houses these has not yet been affected by the flames and remains cool enough to not cause an explosion. Therefore, we have taken the decision to send one more team in, to attempt to replace the two missing people." He tells her, puffing his chest out.

"You have to try and eat, Lucy. They are ginger to help with your sickness." Her voice turning soft as she begs me with her eyes to attempt to eat.

"What are the chances of replaceing them alive?" She asks him.

"Any chance is a chance we have to take." He responds with a small smirk on his lips as he glances into the camera.

"Do you know how the fire started?" The reporter asked, switching the questioning round.

"There will be a full investigation once we have the blaze under control," Fallows informs her.

"We have heard reports that the fire was deliberately started. Is this the work of the Arsonist that has been in operation over the past few months?" The reporter pushes.

Fallow instantly stiffens, before giving a curt nod to the reporter.

"At this present time our focus is to bring the blaze under control, and rescue those still in the building. As I said, there will be a full investigation once we have put the fire out. Thank you." He replied.

"s**t, that means it is the arsonist." Anders said, voicing what we were all thinking.

The camera focuses back on the reporter.

"As I speak, we have more fire fighters preparing to enter the building." She tells us, as the camera pans round, zooming in on Whip-me as he talks to the guys.

"That's them." I whisper out, my voice breaking, as tears threaten to fall once more.

Nobody says a word, we all just stare at the TV as I see Ben, clearly distinguishable by his sheer size, turn and say something, then turning towards the inferno, all six of the crew run towards the burning building.

“f**k, f**k, f**k." Anders growls out, again grabbing at his hair, as he takes to his feet and begins to pace the floor as I watch the TV seeing Ben, Josie, Davey, Headache, Twinkle and Wayne disappearing back into the blazing inferno.

Joanne lets out a little whimper, as the camera then zooms in on Kelvin's face, as he rubs his chest, he looks angry, but more than that, you can see fear in his eyes as he stares at his team.

"He doesn't agree that they should go in. I can tell. He would have called the fire, but Fallow ordered them back. The f*****g i***t!" Joanne hisses out.

The tears that I have held inside break free, as I big sobs begin to wreak my body. My heart feels constricted in my chest, almost to the point of physical pain. My stomach lunges, as I run towards the downstairs toilet, making it just in time, before I empty its contents into the bowl, as I sob, and shake from head to foot.

Finally I finish my vomiting spree, closing my eyes, as if to shut out the horrors that I am living. With a deep breath I replace the will to get back on my feet. Flushing the toilet, I rinse my mouth out with water, then hold my small bump.

"Daddy is going to be okay. He loves us both too much not to be. Try not to worry little one." I say to my baby.

"Lucy, you need to lie down." Joanne's voice tells me, through the door.

Lying down is the last thing I want when the reason for living is in those flames, but I know she is right, because my other reason for living needs me to keep as calm as possible. Reluctantly I open the bathroom door. Joanne stands before me, her own eyes red from the tears she has shed, and I all but fall into her arms, as we cling to each other for dear life, both sobbing our hearts out.

"He will be okay." She softly whispers.

But I am unsure who she is trying to convince. Me or herself.